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Army 1st Lt. Matthew Maxwell (left) briefs Airmen on a convoy route during a training mission at Fort Dix, N.J., Friday, March 3, 2006. McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station have merged to become what some are calling a "super base." Lieutenant Maxwell is with the 310th Training Support Battalion. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt Jack Braden)
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Air Force takes lead on tri-service installation
Posted 3/7/2006
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by Master Sgt. Orville F. Desjarlais Jr.
Air Force Print News
3/7/2006 - MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. (AFPN) -- The Air Force is taking the lead in the nation’s first tri-service installation in the continental U.S. -- which includes McGuire, Fort Dix and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station.
What some media are calling a “Super Base,” the merger is expected to reduce overall manpower and facilities, and generate savings by combining services such as grass cutting, road repairs, trash collection, custodial duties and snow removal.
“Since these installations share a common boundary with minimal distance (among) the major facilities, or are in close proximity, there is significant opportunity to reduce duplication of efforts,” said Col. Rick Martin, the 305th Air Mobility Wing commander. He is taking the lead on the joint-basing initiative since McGuire is in charge of all the installation management functions.
Although the management functions will consolidate, the three services’ missions will not. The Air Force will continue to provide global mobility readiness and expeditionary combat support; the Army will continue to mobilize and train Soldiers; and the Navy will continue to assure fixed and vertical wing aircraft operate safely from aircraft carriers, ships and expeditionary airfields worldwide.
“Airmen involved in their day-to-day mission won’t see a change,” the colonel said. “However, those involved with base security or waste management will be affected simply because those functions will be joint.”
More than 20,000 people work and live on this 60-square-mile installation, which has yet to be named. Some are calling it Joint Base New Jersey, while others have temporarily dubbed it Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Colonel Martin just calls it a good idea.
“None of us can accomplish our missions alone -- we need the support of the other armed services,” Colonel Martin said. “My greatest expectation is for us to build a culture where working jointly is the norm. We will live together, work together, train together, and when the need arises -- we will defend our country together.”
Army Col. David McNeil, the commander of Fort Dix, also sees the sunny side of the merger.
“We all fight together, so if we’re going to fight together we need to work together to know each other and get to understand each others’ cultures, and our systems, and our complexities, and our nuances about how we work together during peacetime so that we can better accomplish our mission during wartime,” Colonel McNeil said.
And, he said, the interaction among the services is a definite bonus.
“We’re going to be able to do more things with the Air Force and Navy by breaking down some barriers, which will enhance our teamwork, and we’ll be able to share more resources,” he said. “Our Soldiers will have more everyday interactions with their brothers and sisters in other services that they don’t have right now.”
After the merger, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate funded $52.5 million in new construction projects for the combined base that includes a blend of active duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers, civil servants and family members.
The installation expects to receive nearly 800 more jobs generated by other bed-down moves identified in base realignment and closure recommendations.
Other combined services include libraries, fitness facilities, base newspapers and installation maintenance.
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